did H-D fix the rubber-mounted swingarm on the FLs?

[1KPerDay]

http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/harley-davidson/2009-harleydavidson-touring-models-review-86648.html

I can't find mention of it here... if they didn't fix it that's stupid, IMO. That' was the main problem with that chassis for 'spirited' riding.

[chornbe]

It's scary diving in to a sweeper at high speeds. Every kit I've see replaces the inner rubber bushing, but retains the outer harley stock rubber bushing. Stupid, stupid, stupid. There are other products, like the RideStr8 and other linkage kits, but c'mon... it's an ass design.

[1KPerDay]

I know... I hope they fixed it but from what I can see they didn't. Or can you see somewhere that they did?

[chornbe]

I haven't looked quite that close at the '09 information, but I would suspect they have not.

[1KPerDay]

*sigh*

why wouldn't they fix an admitted issue?

I guess because it really isn't an issue at 55mph on the freeway.

[chornbe]

Exactly. The bike feels great at 55-65, above that it gets increasingly noticeable. At 80 and above, it's just nutty.

[sfarson]

Cover article of this month's American Iron goes into detail with the chassis improvements.  Haven't had a chance to scan the article yet.  Personally, I've never had any major issues with the FL frame.  I wring the CVO RK hard as I do the track bikes, and have never felt it was a limiting factor when immaturely giving chase at serious speeds to those on higher octane things.

[1KPerDay]

I have... but truthfully the lack of ground clearance is a greater limitation. You have an HP2 now? You suck. And I mean that in the most envious possible way.

[chornbe]

With a reasonable amount of air in the shocks on the 'Glide and using the right amount of body position, I haven't scraped much of anything in quite a while. At stock 0-10lbs of air, yeah, the floorboards not a nice aerodynamic reshaping.  

[sfarson]

I have... but truthfully the lack of ground clearance is a greater limitation. You have an HP2 now? You suck. And I mean that in the most envious possible way.

Yes... the clearance is what is in the back of the mind most when riding in a spirited manner on the H-D , and yes, a long wait for the HP2 Sport.  Arrived in May, just before the ride to Tooele.  An amazing bike, visually and functionally.

[Snowbird]

I think they fixed it:

http://www.motorcycledaily.com/04august08_2009hd_vrod&touring.htm

[chornbe]

That pivot block looks similar to what's on my '08. the "magic" is behind it where there's an inner and outer rubber bushing system (inner rubber bushing slides into the outer rubber bushing) that sits behind that pivot block. I'd love to see an exploded view of the '09. The '08 I have is downright *scary* to ride once the tire gets squared off. The bike gets really squirrelly in turns unless the tires are kept pretty fresh.

In these pictures below, you see the outer rubber bushing remains, and the inner rubber bushing has been replaced with an aluminum or delrin piece (Delrin in this case, from "StaBo"). This is a common fix (and other fixes include an overly-complicated, Rube Goldberg like linking device to limit side travel, but it still works on an arc so I don't see how it's feasible...). I think it should go a step further and have the inner aluminum/delrin bushing slide into a poly outer bushing and remove even more of the flex.





And the problem is where the outer bushing mounts to the frame...



The StaBo bushings are supposed to stiffen the outer bushing by reducing overall flex and filling any gaps. I may end up ordering these because I just can't see myself ever putting on the Goldberg style link kits to the tune of $400+ bucks.

[1KPerDay]

Yep... looks to me like they ignored the issue for 09. Maybe the other improvements ameliorate it a it.

[chornbe]

Please note, the pictures i posted with the red frame are not mine. They are of a pre-'08 Road king getting a powder-coating job to the frame and the StaBo kit installed, as posted on the Harley CVO forum.

No, I'm not a member there and I shamelessly ripped off those pictures while researching this problem for myself a few months back. My intention was to have the whole inner-outer bushing set made from stiffer materials, but the StaBo is supposed to be the cat's ass.

[1KPerDay]

I figgered it wasn't your bike; wrong color.

[atadaskew]

The reviews that I have read in motorcycle-usa.com, motorcycle.com and motorcycledaily.com all claim that the handling has been transformed.

[1KPerDay]

they all mention front end improvements... everyone's mum about the back from what I've seen. Which may be a good thing.

[Snowbird]

The reviews that I have read in motorcycle-usa.com, motorcycle.com and motorcycledaily.com all claim that the handling has been transformed.

From the motorcycledaily article:

The new bikes feel very planted mid-corner, and also seem to change direction easier.

   So the question remains....

[chornbe]

   So the question remains....

What's not to understand? Planted while leaned over and quicker turn in.

[Snowbird]

What's not to understand?

How it was accomplished.